First Picture of AMD B550 Motherboard Appears

[AleksandarK]

The B550 chipset has been absent for a while, meaning that mid-tier motherboard models were lacking and that space is about to be filled. So far, the only thing we got was a B550A chipset, which lacked proper support for PCIe 4.0 connection, based on the refreshed B450 chipset. The B550A supports only one PCIe 4.0 slot, the one connected directly to CPU, while the regular, non-A version is said to deliver proper PCIe 4.0 configuration. The first picture of AMD's upcoming B550 motherboard has appeared.

Thanks to the findings of VideoCardz, we have a picture of a B550 motherboard manufactured by SOYO, a Chinese motherboard manufacturer, and the brand behind Maxsun. Pictured below is a Micro-ATX format motherboard featuring two x16 PCIe 4.0 slots and one smaller, x1 slot. There are two DDR4 slots, along with M.2 PCIe 4.0 connector. Additionally, it has some interesting dragon-inspired masking as well.


View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[claster17]

featuring two full x16 PCIe 4.0 slots

How do you know the second x16 slot is also 4.0?

I think B550 is more likely to offer PCIe 3.0 through the chipset and probably add more lanes.

 

[bug]

How do you know the second x16 slot is also 4.0?

I think B550 is more likely to offer PCIe 3.0 through the chipset and probably add more lanes.

B550 is for the mid-range, you're lucky if you get PCIe 4.0 on the first slot.

My guess is B550 will be virtually the same as X470, or it will add PCIe 4.0 for one M.2 slot and one GPU.

 

[Chaitanya]

B550 is for the mid-range, you're lucky if you get PCIe 4.0 on the first slot.

My guess is B550 will be virtually the same as X470, or it will add PCIe 4.0 for one M.2 slot and one GPU.

1st x16 slot and M.2 slot with PCI-e 4.0 support.

 

[SN2716057]

Pictured below is a Micro-ATX format motherboard featuring two x16 PCIe 4.0 slots and one smaller, x4 slot.

Are you sure that's a x4 slot? It really looks like a x1.

 

[Kapone33]

The 2nd 16 slot might be wired as 4.0 x4 or 3.0 x8. The first slot and the M2 slot should be PCI_E 4.0 as the CPUs are wired as PCI_E 4.0 for 3rd gen.

 

[EarthDog]

Pictured below is a Micro-ATX format motherboard featuring two x16 PCIe 4.0 slots and one smaller, x4 slot.

That is an x1 slot, FYI.

 

[bug]

The 2nd 16 slot might be wired as 4.0 x4 or 3.0 x8. The first slot and the M2 slot should be PCI_E 4.0 as the CPUs are wired as PCI_E 4.0 for 3rd gen.

First of all, it is spelled PCIe, not PCI_E.
Second of all, even if the CPU can PCIe 4.0, the motherboard still needs to offer the wiring to the slot(s).
Third of all, this has already been discussed, the motherboards are wired to offer PCIe 4.0 to the first PCIe slot and the first M.2 slot, but AMD hasn't decided whether to enable support or not (maybe they have in the meantime).
Fourth of all, with Zen3 due later in the year and Q1 almost done, launching B550 is pretty pointless now.

 

[birdie]

The Chinese really love to brandish all the important features of their products and this mobo has zero indication it has any PCIe 4.0 slots/ports.

I firmly believe this particular motherboard doesn't feature PCIe 4.0 in any shape or form. Others might but not this one.

Oh, and there's no USB 3.1 gen 2 support either. Surprisingly it's a really bare bones product - I think it's quite possible to buy cheaper but much better X470 mobos.

 

[Kapone33]

First of all, it is spelled PCIe, not PCI_E.
Second of all, even if the CPU can PCIe 4.0, the motherboard still needs to offer the wiring to the slot(s).
Third of all, this has already been discussed, the motherboards are wired to offer PCIe 4.0 to the first PCIe slot and the first M.2 slot, but AMD hasn't decided whether to enable support or not (maybe they have in the meantime).
Fourth of all, with Zen3 due later in the year and Q1 almost done, launching B550 is pretty pointless now.

Thanks for the clarification. It would be pointless for AMD to release the 550 with no difference between it and the 450. I know it has been discussed. Zen3 may be launching this year and Q1 may be over but the B550 should be relevant as long as the prices are not too high for B550. To me what may be pointless is X670 if there is no increase in PCIe lanes available.

 

[bug]

Thanks for the clarification. It would be pointless for AMD to release the 550 with no difference between it and the 450. I know it has been discussed. Zen3 may be launching this year and Q1 may be over but the B550 should be relevant as long as the prices are not too high for B550. To me what may be pointless is X670 if there is no increase in PCIe lanes available.

Ha, reading your post this just clicked: Zen3 may need a different socket, but maybe it won't require a new chipset to go with it?

 

[Turmania]

I suppose the milk ran out of the cow on x570 motherboards, lasted a year though.

 

[Kapone33]

Ha, reading your post this just clicked: Zen3 may need a different socket, but maybe it won't require a new chipset to go with it?

That is my thought process currently. There were improvements from X370 to X470 but I don't see that happening for X570 to X670. Maybe we will see something like 2.5 or 10 Gbit to justify but I can't see DDR5 or PCIe 5.0.

 

[TheLostSwede]

First of all, it is spelled PCIe, not PCI_E.
Second of all, even if the CPU can PCIe 4.0, the motherboard still needs to offer the wiring to the slot(s).
Third of all, this has already been discussed, the motherboards are wired to offer PCIe 4.0 to the first PCIe slot and the first M.2 slot, but AMD hasn't decided whether to enable support or not (maybe they have in the meantime).
Fourth of all, with Zen3 due later in the year and Q1 almost done, launching B550 is pretty pointless now.

Or B550 becomes the budget chipset for Zen 3?
In fact, do we have any proof that there will be a new chipset for Zen 3?
I mean, what do we need that's not part of the X570? A few more USB 3.2 2x2 ports? USB 4? More PCIe lanes? I can't think of anything else and none of these are crucial. I'm not even sure USB 4 is ready for prime time yet.

Ha, reading your post this just clicked: Zen3 may need a different socket, but maybe it won't require a new chipset to go with it?

No, Zen 3 is still the same socket, AMD has already confirmed this. Zen 4 is what will use a new socket, as this is when we should be getting DDR5 support.

 

[EarthDog]

Oh, and there's no USB 3.1 gen 2 support either.

How do you know this? Isn't it baked into the chipset? If not, 3rd party controllers can be added...

 

[TheLostSwede]

That is my thought process currently. There were improvements from X370 to X470 but I don't see that happening for X570 to X670. Maybe we will see something like 2.5 or 10 Gbit to justify but I can't see DDR5 or PCIe 5.0.

AMD doesn't have an Ethernet PHY in the chipset, unlike Intel. It's up to the board makers to add whatever and there already are 2.5, 5 and 10Gbps boards out there.

 

[bug]

@TheLostSwede Ah, if it's Zen4 that needs a new socket, then things make a little more sense. Now, just release those B550 boards already, I tried going with X470 and I have send the mobo back My 3600 needs its mobo.

 

[TheLostSwede]

How do you know this? Isn't it baked into the chipset? If not, 3rd party controllers can be added...

It's in the CPU, no? Although only 10Gbps, no native 20Gbps support from AMD yet...

 

[EarthDog]

It's in the CPU, no? Although only 10Gbps, no 20Gbps support from AMD yet...

You made me look...

AMD Socket AM4 represents the company’s future-proof platform targeting the fastest DDR4 memory, PCIe® 3.0, and NVMe technologies available, as well as the first native USB 3.1 Gen2 support on a chipset.

https://www.amd.com/en/products/chipsets-am4

 

[TheLostSwede]

You made me look...

https://www.amd.com/en/products/chipsets-am4

• USB 3.2 Gen 1×1 – SuperSpeed, 5 Gbit/s (0.500 GB/s) data signaling rate over 1 lane using 8b/10b encoding, the same as USB 3.1 Gen 1 and USB 3.0.
• USB 3.2 Gen 1×2 – SuperSpeed+, new 10 Gbit/s (1.00 GB/s) data rate over 2 lanes using 8b/10b encoding.
• USB 3.2 Gen 2×1 – SuperSpeed+, 10 Gbit/s (≈1.2 GB/s) data rate over 1 lane using 128b/132b encoding, the same as USB 3.1 Gen 2.
• USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 – SuperSpeed+, new 20 Gbit/s (≈2.4 GB/s) data rate over 2 lanes using 128b/132b encoding.

So 3.2 Gen 2x1 in "new" USB terms..

But it's in the CPU as well as the chipset.

 

[EarthDog]

• USB 3.2 Gen 1×1 – SuperSpeed, 5 Gbit/s (0.500 GB/s) data signaling rate over 1 lane using 8b/10b encoding, the same as USB 3.1 Gen 1 and USB 3.0.
• USB 3.2 Gen 1×2 – SuperSpeed+, new 10 Gbit/s (1.00 GB/s) data rate over 2 lanes using 8b/10b encoding.
• USB 3.2 Gen 2×1 – SuperSpeed+, 10 Gbit/s (≈1.2 GB/s) data rate over 1 lane using 128b/132b encoding, the same as USB 3.1 Gen 2.
• USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 – SuperSpeed+, new 20 Gbit/s (≈2.4 GB/s) data rate over 2 lanes using 128b/132b encoding.

So 3.2 Gen 2x1 in "new" USB terms..

But it's in the CPU as well as the chipset.

Looks like both!

That aside, wondering how @birdie came to his conclusion just by looking at the board.

 

[bug]

Looks like both!

That aside, wondering how @birdie came to his conclusion just by looking at the board.

If you really look, you can make out SuperSpeed+'s teal on the upper USB connector.

 

[EarthDog]

If you really look, you can make out SuperSpeed+'s teal on the upper USB connector.

Yeah, that was a trump card in my back pocket.. I saw the USB blue, lol...

 

[bug]

Yeah, that was a trump card in my back pocket.. I saw the USB blue, lol...

I thought these days everybody plays no trump (pun intended)

 

[claster17]

My guess is B550 will be virtually the same as X470

I doubt that AMD would release a new PCIe 2.0 chipset at this point in time because that's the issue with B450/X470. They are 2.0 and only offer up to a measly 8 lanes which is why almost none of them has a secondary M.2 through the chipset.